I was able to get out and hit some water this past Saturday, 8-27-11, with BlueRaiderFan. We started out working the shoreline of Percy Priest Lake up from some boat ramps that had some wadeable acess. We hit three of these areas over the course of about three hours without a single fish to hand. The wind had stared to pick up at our third stop and was making casting a challenge, at least for me, something I still need to work on. BRF had one more spot in mind that we should try out, a very nice sized pond. When we arrived at the "pond" we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There was quite a bit of top water action, seemed to be smallies. However, where they were busting the top was just out of our reach. I walked quite a bit of its shoreline but just couldnt get out to where the actions was. I let BRF know I was headded to the other side of the "pond" to work the area we had not seen yet. Once there the bottom look really silty/muddy and only about half shin deep. I saw a couple more of the rises over in this open area, but still they were just out of my reach. Then something to my right caught my eye, "mud puffs" ! Not sure what else to call them but I knew right away what was making them, Carp! It was two "puff" lines 6 feet to my right, so I slowly backed out of the water and went up the shoreline ahead of the Carp several feet. Just then BRF had walked up on me and we began to stalk the Carp. I had a hundred things go through my head on what to do, dont spook em, be quiet, dont splash the water, lead the fly, sight cast to em, let em nibble fly, solid hook set. All tips i've heard and read up on others post and pod cast. I had a yellow popper tyed on and cast that two times with no response. Luckily it didnt spook em. Then it hit me, shrimp pattern! Heard about using one and I happened to have one, so I hurridly tyed it on. I roll cast it past the Carp and brought it just off his nose and instantly got his atttention, then the Carp lost the fly in another carps mud puff clouds. The Carp then turned and started to head 180 degrees away, I thought I had lost my chance, just then another Carp joined up with the one I was stalking and they turned together and headed back towards me! I thought, this is it I've got to make this work. I made a perfect cast to the same Carp as before and he instantly went after it again! I let him take it, nibble, and hookset! Woo Hoo! He ran a good 30ft straight out off the bank. What a rush! After several minutes and another 25-30ft run, and with the help of BRF, we got him in. He measured 27 inches. This was my first Carp ever, and it wont be the last! I'm hooked on chasing those "Tennessee Bonefish"!

__________________Mark <::::><

"We try to be perfect, but we're only fishermen. We wade out into the water, we don't walk on top of it."

Careful of the carp bug if it gets you it is all down hill. People will look at you funny maybe even make bad comments. Worse yet so many other species can lose their appeal if there is carp to be had instead. Before you know it you are buying high end equipment specifically to chase golden bones.

Though I have never gone after “Trash on a Fly” but while I lived in Texas it was a big thing around the DFW area. This is a web site http://www.trashonthefly.com/ is mostly dedicated to carp fishing. From what I have been told watch out it is easy to get hooked.

There is one organized group, Carp Anglers Group, that is real big in carp fishing. It is as big in Europe as bass fishing is here in the US. You have to be a member of CAG to get access to their website. I was on it for a few years until they closed it. I didn't think that was very smart of them, IMHO. One section on their forum is flyfishing for carp. There are a number of them in east Tennessee. Believe it or not, some of their carp rods are as expensive as our top flyrods! Got carp on the list on the skinny stick.

Careful of the carp bug if it gets you it is all down hill. People will look at you funny maybe even make bad comments. Worse yet so many other species can lose their appeal if there is carp to be had instead. Before you know it you are buying high end equipment specifically to chase golden bones.

I love fly fishing for them also. I especially like to take them off the surface when they are sucking down beetles and or mayflies that stack up in scum lines of backeddies. watching for that orange o-ring to pop out as they come up to a foam beetle pattern or a white unweighted bugger placed in their path is exciting. Haven't had the opportunity to catch any so far this year, but hopefully soon. congrats on your first, sure it wont be the last.

I love fly fishing for them also. I especially like to take them off the surface when they are sucking down beetles and or mayflies that stack up in scum lines of backeddies. watching for that orange o-ring to pop out as they come up to a foam beetle pattern or a white unweighted bugger placed in their path is exciting. Haven't had the opportunity to catch any so far this year, but hopefully soon. congrats on your first, sure it wont be the last.

Agreed. I remember 20 years ago myself and other folks who worked at the creel chasing them and we were laughed at. It has caught on with folks who took time to actually rip themselves away from the almighty trout, but there are still a bunch who have no concept of what they are missing.

This spring while folks were standing on top of each other to catch a handful of trout on sulfurs, a few of us were pounding fish that averaged 8 lbs and 26" on cicadas. Which also pull as hard as any fish you would ever want to catch.

Guess we carp folks should be thankful that the masses still consider them "trash" fish.

Nicely done! I got my first carp (and several more) earlier this year on the cicadas that waterwolf was talking about. It is definitely a rush and something I will be trying out more of...personally still prefer trout over all other species but its nice to diversify sometimes...

__________________
"Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" Matthew 4:19